NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING FACTS WHY IT MATTERS is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by means of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, or abuse of power of a position of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation.1 The U.S. Department of State estimates that of 600,000 to 800,000 women, men, and children trafficked across international borders each year,2 40,000 to 50,000 are trafficked into the United States.3 Victims of trafficking suffer devastating physical and psychological harm, but due to language barriers, lack of knowledge about services, and the frequency with which traffickers move victims, law enforcement and service providers face significant challenges in helping victims and bringing traffickers to justice.

DID YOU KNOW? THE TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN ñ More than 80% of trafficking victims are female.4 ñ According to the U.S. Department of State, 50% of ñ Human trafficking is the third most profitable criminal trafficking victims internationally are under age 18.15 activity, following only drugs and arms trafficking.5 ñ 300,000 children in the United States are at risk of ñ Annually, an estimated $9.5 billion is generated becoming victims of trafficking.16 through all trafficking activities, with at least $4 billion ñ Many American children who have been trafficked attributed to the worldwide brothel industry.6 had run away from homes where they had been ñ Trafficking victims rescued in connection with U.S. physically or sexually abused.17 government activities have been trafficked from more ñ More than 2/3 of sex trafficked children suffer than 50 nations across the globe.7 additional abuse at the hands of their traffickers.18 ñ According to the U.S. Department of Justice, ñ One study found that 71% of trafficked children between 2001 and 2005 only 140 defendants have exhibit suicidal tendencies.19 been convicted of human trafficking in U.S. courts, ñ Children who are victims of trafficking are more than which represents a 109% increase from 1996-2000.8 twice as likely to develop serious mental health WHAT IS TRAFFICKING? problems, including clinical depression, personality disorders, and dissociative disorders.20 Trafficking primarily involves exploitation. However, 9 ñ Trafficked children are significantly more likely to exploitation comes in many forms, including: abuse substances, engage in as adults, ñ Forcing victims into prostitution and either commit or be victimized by violent crime ñ Subjecting victims to or involuntary servitude later in life.21 ñ Compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating BARRIERS TO SEEKING SERVICES ñ Deceiving victims into ñ There is only one shelter in the United States Overall, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual designed specifically to meet the needs of trafficking 10 exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation. victims, and it currently only houses 7-9 victims.22 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF TRAFFICKING ñ Trafficking victims generally do not seek services because they fear retaliation against themselves and ñ According to one study, 65% of female victims of sex their families, fear deportation, do not understand the trafficking sustain serious physical internal injuries, American legal system, and lack knowledge of 24% experience head injuries, and 12% report 23 11 available services. broken bones. ñ Because traffickers move their victims every 15 to 30 ñ W omen who have been trafficked for the purpose of days and limit their victims‘ contact with the outside sexual exploitation experience a tenfold risk of 12 world, victims generally are unable to develop social contracting HIV. networks or gather resources to escape.24 ñ Female victims experience a ñ Due to the number of perpetrators involved in many significantly higher rate of sexually transmitted trafficking operations, a number of victims do not diseases, tuberculosis, and permanent damage to 25 13 know all of their perpetrators. their reproductive systems. ñ Because trafficking is often closely associated with ñ 68% of female sex trafficking victims meet the clinical 14 organized crime, there are very serious security risks criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. involved in providing shelter for trafficking victims.26

The Public Policy Office of the National Coalition Against Dom estic Violence (NCADV) is a national leader in the effort to create and influence Federal legislation that positively affects the lives of domestic violence victims and children. W e work closely with advocates at the local, state and national level to identify the issues facing domestic violence victims, their children and the people who serve them and to develop a legislative agenda to address these issues. NCADV welcomes you to join us in our effort to end domestic violence. IF YOU NEED HELP If you or someone you know is the victim of trafficking and would like more information, please call:

Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force at 1-888-428-7581 This hotline is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Operators have access to interpreters in most languages and will speak to all victims, regardless of status.

National Dom estic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE Hotline advocates can provide translators in over 140 languages, 24 hours a day and will speak to all victims, regardless of immigration status.

National Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE National Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD

HOW TO HELP ñ Contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support additional funding for anti-violence programs through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, Violence Against W omen Act, Victims of Crime Act Fund, and Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. ñ W ork with policy advocacy organizations to influence your state legislature to pass progressive anti-violence laws and ensure that local programs receive state funding for prevention and intervention services. ñ Become a member of a local, state, or national advocacy organization to learn more about what is happening in the effort to stop trafficking in your community and country. ñ Educate your community and arrange speaking engagements at local schools, churches, or civic groups to address the problem of trafficking. SOURCES, as of 8-1-06 1 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. 22 USC §7101. 2 United States Department of State. (2005). Trafficking in Persons Report. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/47255.pdf. 3 Richard, A.O. (1999). International Trafficking in W omen to the United States: A Contemporary Manifestation of Slavery and Organized Crime. Central Intelligence Agency: Center for the Study of Intelligence. http://www.cia.gov/csi/monograph/women/trafficking.pdf. 4 U.S. Department of State. (2005). 5 U.S. Department of State. (2005). 6 U.S. Department of State. (2005). 7 United States Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division. (2006). Report on Activities to Combat Human Trafficking: Fiscal Years 2001-2005. http:// www.usdoj.gov/crt/crim/trafficking_report_2006.pdf. 8 U.S. Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division. (2006). 9 Innocenti Research Centre. (2005). Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation and Other Exploitative Purposes. Children‘s Fund. www.- icdc.org/publications/pdf/trafficking-exploitation-eng.pdf. 10 Kangaspunta, K. (2003). Mapping the Inhuman Trade: Preliminary Findings of the Human Trafficking Database, as presented to the United Nations Division for the Advancement of W omen. www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/meetings/consult/CM-Dec03-CRP1.pdf. 11 Hynes, P. & Raymond, J.G. (2002). Put in Harm‘s W ay: The Neglected Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States. In J. Silliman & A. Bhattacharjee (Eds.), Policing the National Body: Sex, Race, and Criminalization (197-229). Cambridge: South End. 12 Hynes & Raymond. (2002). 13 U.S. Department of State. (2005). 14 U.S. Department of State. (2005). 15 U.S. Department of State. (2005). 16 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. 22 USC §7101. 17 Estes, R.J. & W einer, N.A. (2001). The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. http://caster.ssw.upenn.edu/ ~restes/CSEC_Files/Abstract_010918.pdf#search='the% 20commercial% 20sexual% 20exploitation% 20of% 20children% 20in% 20the% 20U.S.% 2C% 20Canada% 2C% 20and% 20Mexico'. 18 Klain, E.J. (1999). Prostitution of Children and Child-Sex Tourism: An Analysis of Domestic and International Responses. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC73.pdf. 19 Klain. (1999). 20 Klain. (1999). 21 Estes & W einer. (2001). 22 U.S. Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division. (2006). 23 Clawson, H.J. (2003). Needs Assessment for Service Providers and Trafficking Victims. National Institute of Justice. www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/ grants/202469.pdf. 24 Richard. (1999). 25 Clawson. (2003). 26 Clawson. (2003). For m ore inform ation please see our website at www.ncadv.org.

NCADV Public Policy Office ‡ 1633 Q St NW # 210 ‡ Washington, DC 20009 ‡ (202) 745-1211 ‡ Fax: (202) 745-0088 publicpolicy@ ncadv.org